The third SlutWalk Hong Kong will be on 24 Nov, 2013. The movement started in 2011 when a police officer in Toronto spoke at a campus safety event at York University and told students not to ‘dress like sluts’ if they didn’t want to be sexually assaulted. After an initial protest, SlutWalks were started in various locations around the world, showing that the blaming of victims of sexual assault is a global problem.

Secretary Lai’s statement warning ‘young women’ to avoid ‘drinking too much’ in order to not be sexually assaulted illustrated how widespread patriarchal, victim-blaming views were within various government institutions.

In Hong Kong, 90% of victims do not report their assaults due to feelings of shame. In a recent survey, more than 25% of women in the territory indicated they had experienced domestic abuse, 20% of which had been raped. Hong Kong does NOT have legislation against marital rape.

In today neo-liberal environment, social services are being cut, with the burden for caring being further forced upon women. Meanwhile, the beauty industry continues to exploit women and distort social perceptions of femininity. Last year, the bus gang rape in India horrified the world, which saw the oppression of women getting worse.

The women’s movement must fight not only gender oppression but multiple forms of inequality, such as racial and social inequality, in order to succeed.